Assessment of marketing channels for crops, livestock and their products and inputs for agricultural production in south eastern Uganda..PDF

This report is an output from a study conducted in August 2003. The FITCA Project isintroducing a number of interventions, aimed at decreasing losses in productivity due toanimal trypanosomosis, while at the same time increasing household incomes for the primarybeneficiaries/stakeholders, the livestock keepers. It is therefore critical to assess the mainconstraints to marketing of agricultural produce in the region where the project is operational.This activity therefore assesses the demand and supply for agricultural inputs and produce(identifies the marketing and distribution channels for inputs (seeds, animal drugs, fertilizersetc), as well as the outlets for agricultural produce (live animals, milk, hides and skins, draftpower, eggs etc) in the project area and, the institutional framework available at the districtfor promotion of agricultural marketing and the storage and agro-processing practices andinfrastructure available at household and community levels.The report provides an assessment of marketing channels for crops, livestock and theirproducts, and inputs for agricultural production in six districts of south eastern Uganda. Itgives an overview of the main crop and livestock enterprises in the six districts, productionlevels and the current market situation, with specific reference to structure of the markets,constraints and opportunities. It also assesses the demand and supply of agricultural inputs,with specific emphasis on the procurement pathways, utilization of inputs by farmers andconstraints faced in delivering these inputs. Also documented in the report is an assessmentof processing and storage of agricultural produce in the region. Lastly, the report examinesthe strategies for marketing of agricultural products with a closer look at the institutionalframework available at district level for the promotion of agricultural marketing.The study was largely qualitative, and the methodology used was based on rapid assessmenttechniques using both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected throughinterviews with respondents at district and community level, while secondary data wasobtained from literature review and analysis of available data. Data analysis is mainlydescriptive with most of the data being presented in table.